2 Kings 14

1 In the second year of Joas son of Joachaz, king of Israel, reigned Amasias son of Joas king of Juda.

After Jehoash had been ruling Israel for almost two years, Joash’s son Amaziah became the king of Judah.

2 He was five and twenty years old when he began to reign: and nine and twenty years he reigned in Jerusalem: the name of his mother was Joadan of Jerusalem.

He was 25 years old when he started to rule, and he ruled in Jerusalem for 29 years. His mother was Jehoaddin; she was from Jerusalem.

3 And he did that which was right before the Lord, but yet not like David his father. He did according to all things that Joas his father did:

Amaziah did many things that pleased Yahweh, but he did not do as many things that pleased Yahweh as King David had done. He did some of the good things that his father Joash had done.

4 But this only, that he took not away the high places: for yet the people sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places.

But, [like his father, ] he did not tear down the places for worshipping Yahweh at pagan shrines. The people continued to burn incense [to honor Yahweh] on those hills [instead of in Jerusalem, the place that Yahweh had appointed].

5 And when he had possession of the kingdom, he put his servants to death that had slain the king his father:

As soon as he was completely in control of his kingdom, he caused to be executed the officials who had murdered his father.

6 But the children of the murderers he did not put to death, according to that which is written in the book of the law of Moses, wherein the Lord commanded, saying: The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: but every man shall die for his own sins.

But he did not execute their children. He obeyed what was written in the laws that God gave to Moses: “Parents must not be executed for [the crimes/sins committed by] their children, and children must not be executed for [crimes/sins committed by] their parents. People must be executed only for the sins that they themselves [have committed].”

7 He slew of Edom in the valley of the Saltpits ten thousand men, and took the rock by war, and called the name thereof Jectehel, unto this day.

Amaziah’s soldiers killed 10,000 soldiers of the Edom people-group in the Salt Valley [south of the Dead Sea], and they captured Sela [city] and gave it a new name, Joktheel. That is still its name.

8 Then Amasias sent messengers to Joas son of Joachaz, son of Jehu king of Israel, saying: Come let us see one another.

Then Amaziah sent messengers to King Jehoash of Israel, saying “Come here and let’s talk together.”

9 And Joas king of Israel sent again to Amasias king of Juda, saying: A thistle of Libanus sent to a cedar tree, which is in Libanus, saying: Give thy daughter to my son to wife. And the beasts of the forest, that are in Libanus, passed and trod down the thistle.

But King Jehoash replied to King Amaziah: “Once a thornbush growing [in the mountains] in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar tree, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son in order that he may marry her.’ But a wild animal in Lebanon passed by the thornbush and trampled it.

10 Thou hast beaten and prevailed over Edom, and thy heart hath lifted thee up: be content with the glory, and sit at home: why provokest thou evil, that thou shouldst fall, and Juda with thee?

[The meaning of what I am saying is that] your army has defeated the army of Edom, so now you have become very proud. But you should be content with defeating the people of Edom, and allow your soldiers to stay at home. If you cause trouble [by fighting against] us, you will surely [RHQ] cause a disaster to happen to you and to your people.”

11 But Amasias did not rest satisfied. So Joas king of Israel went up, and he and Amasias king of Juda saw one another in Bethsames a town in Juda.

But Amaziah refused to heed Jehoash’s message. So he marched with his army to fight against the Israeli army at Beth-Shemesh [city] in Judah.

12 And Juda was put to the worst before Israel, and they fled every man to their dwellings.

The Israeli army defeated the army of Judah, and all the soldiers of Judah fled and ran back home.

13 But Joas king of Israel took Amasias, king of Juda the son of Joas, the son of Ochozias, in Bethsames, and brought him into Jerusalem: and he broke down the wall of Jerusalem, from the gate of Ephraim to the gate of the corner, four hundred cubits.

Jehoash’s army also captured King Amaziah there, and they also marched to Jerusalem and tore down the wall that was around the city, from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate. That was a section that was about (200 yards/180 meters) long.

14 And he took all the gold, and silver, and all the vessels, that were found in the house of the Lord, and in the king’s treasures, and hostages, and returned to Samaria.

Jehoash’s soldiers seized all the gold and silver that they found, and all the utensils that were in the temple, and all the valuable things that were in the palace, and took them to Samaria. They also took to Samaria some prisoners whom they had captured.

15 But the rest of the acts of Joas, which he did, and his valour, wherewith he fought against Amasias king of Juda, are they not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Israel?

[If you want to know about] all the other things that Jehoash did when he was king, including when he [and his army] fought against [the army of] King Amaziah of Judah, they are written in the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Israel’.

16 And Joas slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria, with the kings of Israel: and Jeroboam his son reigned in his stead.

Jehoash died [EUP], and he was buried in Samaria, where the other kings of Israel had been buried. Then his son Jeroboam became the king.

17 And Amasias the son of Joas king of Juda lived, after the death of Joas son of Joachaz king of Israel fifteen years.

Amaziah, the king of Judah, lived for 15 more years after Jehoash, the king of Israel, died.

18 And the rest of the acts of Amasias, are they not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Juda?

[If you want to know more about] everything else that Amaziah did, it is written [RHQ] in the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Judah’.

19 Now they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem: and he fled to Lachis. And they sent after him to Lachis, and killed him there.

Some people in Jerusalem plotted against Amaziah, so he fled to Lachish [city]. But they followed him there and killed him.

20 And they brought him away upon horses, and he was buried in Jerusalem with his fathers in the city of David.

They took his corpse back to Jerusalem and buried it where his ancestors had been buried, in [the part of Jerusalem called] ‘The City of David’.

21 And all the people of Juda took Azarias, who was sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father Amasias.

Then all the people of Judah appointed Amaziah’s son Uzziah, when he was 16 years old, to be their king

22 He built Elath, and restored it to Juda, after that the king slept with his fathers.

After his father died, Uzziah’s workers captured Elath [city], and it came under the control of Judah again.

23 In the fifteenth year of Amasias son of Joas king of Juda, reigned Jeroboam the son of Joas king of Israel in Samaria, one and forty years:

When Amaziah had been ruling Judah for almost 15 years, Jeroboam became the king of Israel. He ruled in Samaria [city] for 41 years.

24 And he did that which was evil before the Lord. He departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nabat, who made Israel to sin.

He did many things that Yahweh considered to be evil. He did not stop committing the same kind of sins that Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, committed, sins which led the Israeli people to sin also.

25 He restored the borders of Israel from the entrance of Emath, unto the sea of the wilderness, according to the word of the Lord the God of Israel, which he spoke by his servant Jonas the son of Amathi, the prophet, who was of Geth, which is in Opher.

His soldiers conquered again some of the territory that had previously belonged to Israel, from Hamath [city] in the north to the Dead Sea in the south. That is what Yahweh, the God whom the Israelis worshiped, promised the prophet Jonah, the son of Amittai, from Gath-Hepher [town], would happen.

26 For the Lord saw the affliction of Israel that it was exceeding bitter, and that they were consumed even to them that were shut up in prison, and the lowest persons, and that there was no one to help Israel.

That happened because Yahweh saw that [the Israelis’ enemies were causing] the Israelis [to] suffer very much. And there was absolutely no one [IDM] who would help them.

27 And the Lord did not say that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, but he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joas.

But Yahweh said that he would not destroy Israel completely, so he enabled King Jeroboam to rescue them.

28 But the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, and all that he did, and his velour, wherewith he fought, and how he restored Damascus, and Emath to Juda in Israel, are they not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Israel?

[If you want to know more about] everything else that Jeroboam did, [about] his fighting courageously in battles, and [about] his [enabling the Israelis to] capture again Damascus and Hamath [cities], they are written [RHQ] in the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Israel’.

29 And Jeroboam slept with his fathers the kings of Israel, and Zacharias his son reigned in his stead.

Jeroboam died [EUP], [and was buried] where the other kings of Israel [were buried], and his son Zechariah became the king.